On the 7th of December, people around the world joined in an enormous act of global solidarity to support people who have no choice but to sleep on the streets. From Los Angeles to London; from New Delhi to Manila and Brisbane, people slept out for one night to raise awareness of the global scale of homelessness and to raise urgently needed funds for organisations that work to help those that are homeless or housing insecure.
Whilst this one night out could not compare to the plight of people who have to sleep on the streets, on benches, in derelict buildings or other unsafe places all across the world; it did help to shine a spotlight on this social issue. To solve it, all of us need to come together in collaboration to provide practical solutions and to advocate for change.
On the night, many members of the Vincentian Family joined in – true to their unwavering commitment to the poor. Teams from DePaul University slept out in Chicago; Depaul Ukraine and supporters braved freezing winter conditions in Kharkiv; and in London, the team of the Famvin Homeless Alliance volunteered throughout the night – offering tea and chats.
The thousands of people sleeping out on this one night showed us that there is much compassion for homeless people all across the world; and that people are devoted and ready to join us in our efforts to end homelessness.